BACKGROUND: Persistence of humoral immunity was evaluated in 82 hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients up to 12.5 years after post-transplant immunization against tetanus and diphtheria. PROCEDURE: New immunization, initiated at least 12 months after transplantation, consisted of an average three-dose schedule of vaccine administration on day 1, month 3, and month 12. Serological data were collected at pre-transplant, post-transplant, vaccination, and post-vaccination time points. RESULTS: The first vaccination dose elicited a seroprotective response in most recipients, but the complete vaccine series (usually three-dose schedule) reinforced the specific immunity in most vaccinated cases, that is, 100% and 95.8% seroprotection against tetanus and diphtheria, respectively. Geometric mean concentration post-vaccination tetanus and diphtheria antibody levels persisted at 1.9 IU (95% CI: 1.23-2.94 IU/ml) and 0.20 IU (95% CI: 0.11-0.38 IU/ml) for 7 years, respectively. However, diphtheria antibodies were lost not significantly but much faster and more often than tetanus antibodies, though the seroprotection rates against tetanus and diphtheria remained favorable, that is, 100% (95% CI: 85.2-100%) and 87% (95% CI: 59.5-98.3%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Full post-transplant revaccination resulted in long-term persistence of humoral immunity against tetanus and diphtheria in SCT recipients, for an average of 8.6 and 9.0 years, respectively.

Children's Vaccination Centre University Hospital Motol Prague Czech Republic

Citace poskytuje Crossref.org